Quotes of the day

posted at 9:46 pm on November 23, 2012 by Allahpundit

Kerry, a prominent senator for 28 years, would sail through his Senate confirmation hearings. Rice would be pinned down not just by Benghazi but by some of her past statements, in particular these two: In 1994, when she served on President Bill Clinton’s National Security Council, she reportedly asked about the possibility of intervening in Rwanda: “If we use the word ’genocide’ and are seen as doing nothing, what will be the effect on the November election?”

In 2011, as European countries were pushing for a UN Security Council resolution creating a no-fly zone over Libya, she reportedly told the France’s UN ambassador, Gerard Araud, that the U.S. wouldn’t be pulled into France’s war and she disparaged the conflict with an obscenity. Dredging up the latter incident is especially unfair, considering that Rice joined Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the National Security Council official Samantha Power to push the men in the administration to intervene in Libya. Still, Kerry’s colleagues wouldn’t hesitate to use any ammunition on hand against Rice.

Rice was aiming to please the White House in a high-profile audition. If she’s nominated, Republicans shouldn’t let the ritualistic cries of racism scare them off of holding her accountable. On the other hand, they shouldn’t get distracted from more important questions involving the president himself.

Was he apprised of prior attacks on the consulate, and what did he do with that information? When did he get the accurate account of the attack from the intelligence agencies? What did he do when he learned of the hours-long attack, and what orders did he give to help the besieged Americans?

We know in great detail the president’s involvement in the Osama bin Laden raid. But Benghazi has been a closed book. If the White House had a good story to tell, presumably the New York Times already would have reported the details in a 5,000-word front-page article built on leaks by anonymous administration officials.

Republicans claim that Ms. Rice “propagated a falsehood” that the attacks were connected to an anti-Islam YouTube video. How then to explain the contemporaneous reports from Western news organizations quoting people at the burning consulate saying that they were angry about the video?

The oddity of the Republican response to what happened in Benghazi is partly this focus on half-baked conspiracy theories rather than on the real evidence of failures by the State Department, Pentagon and CIA in protecting the Benghazi mission. What’s even stranger is the singling out of Ms. Rice, a Rhodes scholar and seasoned policymaker who, whatever her failings, is no one’s fool.

Could it be, as members of the Congressional Black Caucus are charging, that the signatories of the letter are targeting Ms. Rice because she is an African American woman? The signatories deny that, and we can’t know their hearts. What we do know is that more than 80 of the signatories are white males, and nearly half are from states of the former Confederacy. You’d think that before launching their broadside, members of Congress would have taken care not to propagate any falsehoods of their own.

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Oh, and when it comes to anything the media deems racialist or genderific, can we find someone other than old white guys to lay out our case? Why isn’t Condi Rice making the case against Susan Rice? Where’s Susana Martinez? The GOP is flush with women and minorities. Let’s get them prepped for battle and get them out there. We can kill these racist/sexist memes simply by showing up. Optics do matter.

The GOP must stop letting us down like this. We can’t change the media; we can’t make the media do their jobs honestly, and we certainly can’t assume that the media’s ever going to do the right thing.

We can’t lose the Susan Rice debate on the facts. The facts are on our side. The same goes for Libya. But unless and until we’re fully prepared on the facts and willing to then take the debate directly to the media, we’ll keep losing the game, because we drop too many easy pop-ups.

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Never mind that Republicans haven’t had a white secretary of state since Lawrence Eagleburger concluded his term two decades ago. Never mind that Republicans appointed the first black secretary of state ever (Colin Powell) and the first black female secretary of state ever (Condoleezza Rice, arguably the star of the GOP convention in August). Also, never mind that Rice’s handling of Benghazi — and several other matters — can quite defensibly be dubbed incompetent.

For his performance as J.R. Ewing, Hagman was nominated for two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 1980 and 1981, but did not win. He was also nominated for four Golden Globes, between 1981 and 1985. He was nominated for a Soap Opera Digest Award seven times for Outstanding Villain on a Prime Time Serial, Outstanding Actor in a Leading Role on a Prime Time Serial, Favorite Super Couple: Prime Time and Outstanding Actor in a Comic Relief Role on a Prime Time Serial, and won five times.

Yes, it sucks to shoot it recreationally. Probably the single worst caliber for recreational shooting. Ditto the platform. However… there’s a reason both have become the accepted standard for both law enforcement and special operations.

I was told it was actually designed by a Texas Yahoo (like Cozmo) for the women folk in their cars to prevent carjacking.
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Not sure I’d conceal this one with the possibility of shooting it in public. The rifled portion of the barrel though short still spins the plastic wadding and shot cup. While the shot pattern in the target was very uniform, it spread quickly. It would be hard to confine your projectiles to just the intended target. And if you’re going to just load ball ammo, you might as well just carry one of the autos that was talked about last night or on this thread.

hawkdriver on November 23, 2012 at 11:35 PM

Cozmo, and he needs no defense from me, is not a Texas Yahoo. A Texas Yayhoo, yes, but not a Yahoo. Big diff down here.

I figured the birdshot would spread fast, given the short barrel, but it would have a temporary incapacitating effect, even if not fatal, allowing for the ultimate kill from the other chambers. A very interesting concept, for sure.

Negative, you shoot as you were trained…center mass. The only defense in a court of law. Remember that everybody. You were taught to aim for center mass. Anything else will be taken apart by the other side.
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And another thing…pants! Or pantsless…

Yes, it sucks to shoot it recreationally. Probably the single worst caliber for recreational shooting. Ditto the platform. However… there’s a reason both have become the accepted standard for both law enforcement and special operations.

If you only buy one… Glock 22.

/popcorn

The Resolute Desk on November 23, 2012 at 11:50 PM

Why don’t you like the caliber and to shoot it for recreation? I find it is great. Too big for concealed carry but not overly so. I have a G22, 23, and 27 among my other treasures and just might get something else for a Christmas present to myself.

Negative, you shoot as you were trained…center mass. The only defense in a court of law. Remember that everybody. You were taught to aim for center mass. Anything else will be taken apart by the other side.
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And another thing…pants! Or pantsless…

cozmo on November 24, 2012 at 12:12 AM

I, for one, prefer a double-tap to the head, then a nice PC finish to center mass, you know, for the look of it all. But most everyone should go center mass at first, as the trainers tell you, the easiest way to stop an assailant, even if it doesn’t kill him.

Was hopin’ for a little trolling, but this is a subject I am intimately familiar with. You always say you were aiming for center mass. Anything else could get a decent person a mandatory vacation and a big roommate that calls you honey.

.38 Special revolver for me. Not too many worries about collateral damage with the right ammo, and very accurate. (Open carry usually.)

My fall-back is (don’t laugh) an H & R .32 S&W long (inherited). The ammo’s a little hard to find, but the little sucker is so accurate, it’s scary. It’s no elephant-stopper, but if you can place your round where you intend, you don’t need a hand cannon. It’s small enough to pocket carry, and just a pleasure to shoot.

FNH 5.7×28 here. Very high-velocity (3,000fps+), very smooth, low-recoil platform that makes it easy to stay on your target while shooting. Superb accuracy, surprising lightness, plus the 23-round double-stack mag is a real advantage too. Ease of concealment is still my only issue with it, but it’s still easier than concealing my Beretta Mod 92, Sig P220 or my 1911. I wish someone would come out with a nice low-profile tritium sight modification kit for it. Even my little Sig P238 (.380) has tritium sights, one of many sweet things about that weapon.

And why you should always fire a round into center mass even after the attacker(s) are dead. Again, the best placement for most people firing in defense is the assailant’s center mass, anyway, at least to stop them, but if you can train yourself to do better than that, then don’t forget to fire a cap into the chest afterwards. That’s all I’m saying.

Let us turn from the post-Thanksgiving scenes of inflamed mobs clubbing each other to the ground for a discounted television set to the comparatively placid boulevards of the Middle East. In Cairo, no sooner had Hillary Clinton’s plane cleared Egyptian air space than Mohamed Morsi issued one-man constitutional amendments declaring himself and his Muslim Brotherhood buddies free from judicial oversight and announced that his predecessor, Hosni Mubarak, would be retried for all the stuff he was acquitted of in the previous trial. Morsi now wields total control over parliament, the judiciary, and the military to a degree Mubarak in his jail cell can only marvel at. Old CIA wisdom: He may be an SOB but he’s our SOB. New post–Arab Spring CIA wisdom: He may be an SOB but at least he’s not our SOB.

— Mark Steyn

Yes, he is. Barack, you utter Fool, you brung him, you own him.

Obama is enabling the proliferation of Sharia and dictatorship and the US fools are out clubbing each other, while shopping.

Ms Rice wanted something. She wanted to be Secretary of State. President Obama needed something. He needed someone to take the heat off before the election. If the plan worked they both got what the wanted. Obama knew that after Rice prostituted herself for him that she was dead in the water for Secretary of State. All we see are “TRIAL BALLONS”, no real nomination for the position.

If it was a partisan vote in the Senate I can’t see John Kerry or his close friends voting himself out of the job that he truly wants.

I have little appreciation for Kerry because of the way he tried to embellish his service record in VietNam. If I can set that aside and take him on his experience and background, he may actually be a pretty good fit for the job. Certainly better that Ms. Rice.

Even my little Sig P238 (.380) has tritium sights, one of many sweet things about that weapon.

Harbingeing on November 24, 2012 at 12:35 AM

What got you to pick that one? I think its too tiny, I’m leaning towards the S&W or Walther. Though even those don’t come close to my beloved Colt Government model .380. The Sig is based on the Colt Mustang, but I didn’t like that Colt.

That’s all I’m saying.

TXUS on November 24, 2012 at 12:38 AM

Just don’t say it to the wrong people. In some cases, even the good guys can be the wrong people. And if the adrenalin rush lasts too long those words can cause a whole different kind of “world of hurt”.

Just don’t say it to the wrong people. In some cases, even the good guys can be the wrong people. And if the adrenalin rush lasts too long those words can cause a whole different kind of “world of hurt”.

cozmo on November 24, 2012 at 12:45 AM

Don’t say it to anyone. Just do it…all that TXUS meant. Hopefully there won’t be any court case and much saying at all. Definitely the assailant ain’t sayin’ a word about it.

There was a story out of New Orleans (internet source: WWL-TV 10-30-12) where it was discovered that a group of people using reflectors, on their taxpayer provided and fueled cars, naturally, to evade traffic light cameras revenue enhancers was found to be New Orleans traffic court judges. They also had blue dashboard lights without authorization.

Scofflaw scoundrel er… Chief Traffic court judge Robert Jones III offered the predictable Sgt. Shultz excuses: “I was given the car like that. I didn’t put the plate on it. That was from the city like that.” When asked about how the reflector defeats the cameras the traffic court judge predictably replied: “I didn’t know about that.”

So… take heed Just-Us Benedict Roberts… there are other scofflaw scoundrels in robes out there just like you vying for your title of Chief Hypocrite of gavel slammers.

Bad idea. Forensics will show approximate angle and distance (not to mention the fact that you shot someone who was on the ground from close range), and the autopsy will most likely identify the kill shot. In this case, you have made yourself appear guilty of premeditation, and made self-defense harder to believe. Don’t give an overzealous prosecutor any extra “ammunition”. (Bad pun intended.)

Only take the shot(s) that you HAVE to take, and then call 911 yourself once you’re sure you are not in danger or have adequate cover. If you’re in the right, chances are that the evidence will clear you and you won’t even be charged.

Assailant’s co-scumbag, scared out of their wits girls and a cop with a chip…gonna’ silence everybody?

Even in the event of a shooting things can get worse.

Think about it…in a millisecond. That’s about all the time you’ll have.

All that stuff about putting the last shot in the chest and draggin’ the bad guy in are jokes to be told at a bar about an uncomfortable situation. This ain’t the 70’s with good old boy cops and cleanin’ the trash. Even in Texas.

Way back yonder when I was knee-high to a duck, someone tried to jimmy the back door to our house late one night. The next day, the Sheriff told my Dad to shoot through the door if it happened again, and to call him and he’d take care of the rest.

Having consolidated his grip in Egypt, Morsi is now looking beyond. His “peace deal” legitimizes the Muslim Brotherhood’s affiliate in Gaza, and increases the likelihood of the Brothers advancing to power in Syria and elsewhere. As on that night in Benghazi when the most lavishly funded military/intelligence operation on the planet watched for eight hours as a mob devoured America’s emissaries, America in a broader sense is a spectator in its own fate. As for Afghanistan, it seems a fitting comment on America’s longest unwon war that the last two U.S. commanders exit in a Benny Hill finale, trousers round their ankles, pursued to speeded-up chase music by bunny-boiling mistresses, stalker socialites, identical twins, and Bubba the Love Sponge.

Yeah, I read that piece. As usual, Steyn is spot on, to our misfortune.

This “smart power” is turning us into the laughingstock of the world, and it is not by accident.

If we’ve a nation worth saving by 2016, I’ll be pleasantly surprised. You have been right all along: “We’ve got the government we deserve”, if by “we” you mean the majority voters. Goddamn the moochers, the educated brainwashed idiots and the self-serving scoundrels.

The Looters (as in Rand) – they are the worst. The Obamas are their puppetmasters. They will always live like Louis XV and Madame de Pompadour. The fools will suffer incredibly from them, but they don’t know it, yet.

It’s amazing. Obama’s biggest foreign policy failure (almost as bad as Jimmy Carter/Iran in 1979) was never mentioned by Romney throughout the campaign. Why? Because Romney agreed with it. He supported getting rid of Mubarak and bringing so-called democracy to Egypt.

It’s amazing. Obama’s biggest foreign policy failure (almost as bad as Jimmy Carter/Iran in 1979) was never mentioned by Romney throughout the campaign. Why? Because Romney agreed with it. He supported getting rid of Mubarak and bringing so-called democracy to Egypt.

TarheelBen on November 24, 2012 at 1:29 AM

One last thing, then to bed.

There’s a reason that Germany and Japan did so well after we CONQUERED them in WWII. It’s not because we “respected” their belief systems and let them go about their business uninhibited. We dictated the terms and rooted out the evil. This is the only way that our current enemies will ever be future allies or even friends. They must be broken.

No one in the public eye has the intestinal fortitude to tell us this unvarnished truth, except for a few like Mark Steyn and Robert Spencer.

I think nowhere. Unlike in the cases of Watergate and Iran-Contra, there is no investigative press, given the media’s worry about endangering the second-term agenda of a progressive president. There is no special prosecutor salivating after a government official, as there was with Scooter Libby. “The fog of war” and accusations of “Conspiracy theory!” should be enough to bury the scandal and discredit those who seek the truth. Modifying a CIA analysis for political purposes is probably no crime. Quid pro quos are simply the polite, everyday — and legal — Washington version of blackmail. In the end, the only casualties in this sordid tale were the sterling career of David Petraeus — and four murdered Americans whose deaths were preventable.

Fine, if you only use it to shoot holes in paper targets. But if you ever expect to run into a situation where it absolutely positively need to work….carry a revolver. The best auto on the planet will jam (at the worst possible time).

They tried to make her look as ‘BLACK’ as possible in this video, didn’t they? Disgusting. Most of her pics have her with straight hair looking almost ‘mixed.’ It’s all political identity politics served up in the heat of them moment. With all of this,. I almost want to quit.

…have they ever had a Quotes of the day under a hundred?
…the last couple of months or so…I am starting to learn a little bit more about guns…and peoples attachments.
I only have two shotguns. One with a barrel about a quarter inch longer… than the shortest legal limit length…and one normal shotgun… for littler varmints.

I see. I actually think people are still feeling a bit deflated from November 6. It was a big, abrupt letdown to an almost two-year-long buildup. Things will turn around soon. Who knows what we will all be talking about in six months. We need something to give us a jolt of energy and enthusiasm again.

The USA might take a week for a sacking of the old style… and for most neighborhoods, you have the pre-designed 3-gun situation with rifle, shotgun and pistol and enough changes in space to justify each of them.

…from the former Confederacy. ???? Since kids aren’t taught American history, calling those states the former Confederacy won’t make an impression. Besides, no one flies the flag or yells the South will rise again. Those states have been assimilated by too many folks from the rust and snow belt to be Southern anymore. We think JFK will make a fine Sec State. I’ll be sitting here in my rocker waiting for the golden age to begin.

Could it be that Ms. Rice was promised the Sec State post in order to gain her loyalty but was played by the Won? If she ever finds out that was the case, dear leader might find out about the woman scorned thingy.

How long will the sycophant press allow Obama to get away with avoiding issues by crying racism? Of all the distressing things about his re-election, this one is at the top of the list. He can always avoid discussing the issues by crying racism and the press is just unwilling to just say, “Oh really, just get over it and talk about the issue, please.” It’s about time the charges of racism get the replies they’re due, which is a huge guffaw.

-HK45C. Not cheap, but a beautiful weapon that is a pleasure to shoot. It really does have relatively little felt recoil. Can be carried, and carried in a variety of configurations since it has a thumb safety.

-Mossberg 12 gauge. Or a 20 gauge for recoil-averse individuals. If expense is not an issue, a Benelli M4 semi-auto will fit the bill nicely.

-Smith and Wesson 686P. The extra round (holds 7) is handy. As with all .357 magnums, it can shoot .357 magnum or 38 special. Beautiful gun. Dead on accurate. OK pull in double action. Very light pull in single action.

-FN SCAR 17 (5.56x 45 NATO) is a beautiful weapon, but very pricey. Otherwise a Colt, RRA or one of many others out there that are relatively inexpensive yet reliable and accurate.

Forgot… any Glock. 9mm, .40, 10mm. .45. Whichever feels good in hand and that you can shoot well. All are relatively inexpensive, dead on accurate, reliable, and insanely durable. They can be detail stripped with ease.
Gaston Glock was a genius.

Don’t forget a good .22 revolver or semi-auto. Good for prectice, fun and cheap to shoot till your heart’s content. I have a Ruger Mark III that is a tack driver and fun, fun, fun to shoot. Not so fun to take apart and reassemble, however.